Fair Takes Art to the Street with Outdoor Exhibits

From colorful murals on highway underpasses to towering sculpture on oceanside parks, dozens of artists are striking up community conversations through public art projects for Art Basel Miami Beach, which runs through Sunday at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Much of the effort is motivated by the third annual fair, with some artists creating works specifically for Art Basel and others eager to give voice to their hometown at a moment when tens of thousands of residents and visitors are focused on art.

Some of the most visible works will be part of Art Projects, a showcase of bronze sculpture, mosaic murals, video projections and other original work produced by 13 artists specifically for Art Basel.

Independent artists, both local and out-of-town, also have chimed in to the dialogue with murals, interactive exhibits and other creations.

Taken together, these projects create a patchwork of public art laced with the individual perspectives of artists from South Florida and abroad.

Miami muralist Xavier Cortada has been busy transforming dingy highway underpasses in Allapattah, Miami and Little Havana into Miami Mangrove Forest. His past public art projects include mosaics and murals at the State Capitol in Tallahassee, Nike Town at Sunset Place, the Miami-Dade Department of Juvenile Justice and elsewhere.